Authoring Self and Redefining Luck: Pathways Into Arts Education and Professions for Students of Color

• In Event: Student Learning and Development: Self-Authorship and Reflection

Abstract

Past studies have shown that reports of institutionalized racism and classism embedded in the admissions process to art programs may contribute to the marginalization of students of color and those from working-class backgrounds. This study addresses disparities in arts education and careers by examining the educational and professional narratives of students of color majoring in arts. The study highlights the ways in which students of color successfully navigate perceived barriers in the arts by establishing a strong self-identity that helps them recognize valuable opportunities for educational and career advancement. More importantly, the study addresses the role that oppressive systems, such as racism, play within the educational and professional pathways of aspiring artists of color.

Author

• Shirlie Mae Peralta, Mount Saint Mary's University